Thursday, September 22, 2016

One advantage to attending dinner meetings in Wall, SD, is the Wall Drug Bookstore across the street. It's the hidden jewel among all the interesting items at Wall Drug. The bookstore has, I believe, the best collection of Western and Native American themed books you'll find anywhere.

Tonight I picked up 2 books:

Lincoln's Bishop - A President, a Priest, and the Fate of 300 Dakota Sioux Warriors

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

I've stayed away from James Patterson for several years as he's moved into the money-grubbing I'll-Put-My-Name-On-Anything phase of his career. But, I won this book a couple years ago and after staring at it long enough on my bookshelf I relented.

Co-written with David Ellis, I enjoyed it but it lacked something. This review probably expresses my thoughts pretty accurately.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

I've been reading some William Faulkner lately, because that's the way English major snobs roll, and I found this funny in his Wikipedia entry. His resignation letter from the Post Office:

As long as I live under the capitalistic system, I expect to have my life influenced by the demands of moneyed people. But I will be damned if I propose to be at the beck and call of every itinerant scoundrel who has two cents to invest in a postage stamp.

This, sir, is my resignation.

And, no, by "reading Faulkner" I didn't mean I was just reading his Wikipedia entry. I'm reading "The Bear." It's a chore (one sentence was over 600 words long), but I've always found that while Faulkner can make you work for it, it usually pays off. Brilliant, brilliant man.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

This is the 14th book in the Mitch Rapp series and the first since Vince Flynn died. Apparently, Flynn started the book and Kyle Mills finished it. I couldn't notice where he took over, so that's probably good.

It's been a while since I read Rapp. I enjoyed it. Gave it a 7- on the Haugenometer. B&N readers give it a more stellar 4.5 of 5.

Rapp reminds me a lot of Bob Lee Swagger, though John Sandford does a better job of developing a more realistic character in Swagger. In a fight between the two, my money is on Bob Lee.

Still, Mitch Rapp is great series and Mills looks up to the task in continuing it in fine fashion. Start it if you haven't.

The latest

Buy it here ...

Zoo Falls is available exclusively in ebook form at Amazon for 90 days. If you are a Prime member, you can get the book for free. Otherwise it is only $2.99.

If you are an iPad owner, you can get the free Kindle app and download it there as well.

Buy it here ...

Here it is available in ebook form, Joshua's Ladder. And now available in paperback! I hope you like it and I appreciate you checking it out. If you aren't already a member of Smashwords, it's simple to sign in.

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Short stories

About Me

A fifth-generation South Dakotan, Haugen is a recovering journalist living in the Black Hills with his wife, one or two teenagers, two dogs and Ragnar, the pet rabbit.
Haugen is a former newspaper reporter, editor, sportswriter, publisher and award-winning columnist.
At various times he has lived in Montrose, Canton, Sioux Falls and Valley Springs. He's worked at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Tri-State Neighbor and owned the Tea & Harisburg Champion newspaper in Tea. He also had brief forays across state lines and worked at newspapers in Windom and Luverne, Minn., and Rock Valley, Iowa.
Haugen is also an avid runner and gardener.